mommyhood

This is technically when we first met... sadly I don't remember this at all.

Lately I’ve been thinking back to when I first saw my son. I met him twice before I really met him. Let me explain. My son was first introduced to me as they were rushing him to the NICU and they were putting me under, I don’t remember it at all. Luckily my husband was able to snap a couple of pictures when it happened. After they put me all back together, they wheeled the gurney into the NICU for me to see him. I was still coming off of the anesthesia and barely remember this. I do remember them trying to fit the gurney between all those precious boxes caring for little babies, but I don’t really remember seeing my son.

In case you weren’t aware (which if you are an avid “mommy blog” reader you definitely do) August is National Breastfeeding Month. I was too nervous to post this story before because I didn’t want any backlash from my employer at the time, but now that can’t happen and it should be shared.

A co-worker and myself are both breastfeeding mothers, so obviously we both have to pump. She had been pumping since she returned to work in January and I had only been back to work a couple of weeks. We had worked out a schedule with each other, as well as our manager, to try to avoid being off the phones at the same time (we worked in a call center). One day our manager calls my co-worker into the office for a meeting, I am to go separately a half hour later. After my co-worker finishes her meeting, I am instantly worried. She looks furious. So I go in and am told our call volume is off the charts, and they’ll need me to pump either within my 15 min break (not allowed to go over) or only on lunch…. Continue reading →

The best picture I could find of his skin. We were on a road trip and he'd had enough of his carseat already.

My poor guy has been struggling with scaly skin that was red, scaly, and itchy. I thought it was just cradle cap and we kept giving him a bath and scrubbing it, waiting for it to resolve. But then his legs and arms broke out and it seemed to be spreading everywhere. The doctor took one look and said what I feared. Not only did our boy have eczema but he was suffering from a skin infection and very likely had an allergy to the soap we were using. And all I could think is that I was using Johnson & Johnson products only! They are supposed to be the go to product for babies, right? Apparently not. Continue reading →

I read so much about the horror that is baby poop. How awful the first one would be down to how explosive it would become. Not once was I surprised by my sons poop… until now. Now he’s not pooping in every diaper, its more like he’s storing it all up for one really awful disaster. I started calling them “B” Bombs (baby bombs). They are now getting just a little more solid, starting to get an odor, and covering everything within the confines of that diaper. There will be so much poop it goes out the sides and up the back of the diaper leaving quite the stain on his onesies. I’ve been fortunate enough to not have experienced a “B” Bomb when he’s fresh from the tub and no diaper to protect anything… Though I’m sure that time will come soon enough. Continue reading →

There were so many things I didn’t expect to be so difficult when it came to motherhood, breastfeeding is definitely one of them. It’s time-consuming and a small trip can take a bit of planning. The biggest thing was how controversial it is. It never occurred to me that people would be upset by doing what women were made to do, nourish our children with our bodies. When I see images of mother’s feeding their children I do not see a sexual image. I certainly don’t feel sexy doing it. Continue reading →

We found our little guy likes watching Curious George. But only if we'll hold him while he watches.

Very rarely do I pay for an app, and if I do it has to be strongly recommended to me by a friend. So when a friend suggested I look into Wonder Weeks (after commenting on my little guy being extremely fussy), I couldn’t help but to look and see what it was about. Can I just say…. wow. It couldn’t be more dead on. Gave me an idea of when to expect him to be fussy due to changes in his development. It even gives you little tips to help them learn and grow and makes me feel like I’m doing all I can for my little guy. Plus, it makes me a little more understanding when he wants to nurse and cuddle all day. Continue reading →

I’ve officially completed my first week of work since I had my son. To be perfectly honest, I thought it would go a lot worse. I missed him terrible and I definitely cried leaving my driveway two days in a row. But I’m finding it nice to be out of the house and getting to talk to grown-ups. I printed pictures to have at my desk (for when I’m really feeling down about leaving him home), or I simply pester my sister-in-law for an update on what he’s doing. The hardest part thus far? Pumping. Continue reading →